NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and expressed his gratitude for his guidance and cooperation in the development of Uttarakhand.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister presented a shawl made of local hemp fiber Bedu and a replica of Nanda Devi Rajjat’s traditional musical instruments as tokens of appreciation.
Among the key projects discussed, the Chief Minister emphasized the proposed Dehradun Metro Neo project, aimed at alleviating transport pressure on roads and providing safe transit options. The project’s detailed technical study, with two corridors totaling 22.424 km and a cost of Rs 1852.74 crore, has been sent for approval to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
Expressing gratitude for the Allweather Road Chardham road project, the Chief Minister said that for the works of the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) for the year 2023, a total of 155 works received from the public representatives of the state were requested to approve the proposals worth Rs 2550.15 crore. it was done. The ministry has given consent for works worth Rs 250.00 crore. The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to get approval for the remaining works.
The Chief Minister said that due to the huge increase in the number of tourists in the state over the years, the traffic pressure on the state roads has increased. It is absolutely necessary to upgrade the state roads. In this regard, in-principle consent has been given by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India to upgrade 06 routes as National Highways in the year 2016 itself.
Apart from this, it is requested to notify the 189 km Kathgodam-Bhimtal Dhyanachuli-Moranola-Khetikhan Lohaghat-Pancheshwar motor road as a national highway in view of its usefulness for tourism/military traffic and the general public.
The Chief Minister said that the construction of a two-lane road from Tanakpur to Pithoragarh on the Indo-Nepal border is under the Chardham project. The border road from Pithoragarh to Lipulekh has been developed by BRO. The section from Gunji village to Jolingkang situated on the Pithoragarh-Lipulekh road has also been developed by BRO. The work of the 02-lane National Highway from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag, Joshimath, Lapthal- Barahoti is also almost complete.
At present, there is no such route in the India-China border which directly connects Jolingkang ITBP post in district Pithoragarh to ITBP post-Lapthal in district Chamoli. Therefore, with the construction of strategically important tunnel routes, the distance between the above two border posts will be reduced by 404 km and will also be useful from the point of view of tourism and border management.
The Chief Minister said that keeping in view the increasing number of devotees in the mythological temples located in Manaskhand, the work of the overall development of 16 temples is being done in the first phase. In this regard, the process of converting the already constructed 1-lane roads into 02 lanes is in progress. The proceedings of land acquisition, transfer of forest land etc. are being done by the State Government from its own resources.
About Rs 1000 crore will be required for the construction work in the first phase. The said funds are requested to be made available to the State Government from any Ministry of the Government of India (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture, Government of India).
The Chief Minister also discussed with the Prime Minister about various development plans of the state and in relation to roads and transport and informed that works worth Rs 250 crore from CRIF (Central road and infrastructure fund) have been approved by the Ministry of Road Transport. given. Apart from this, the Chief Minister also informed the Prime Minister about the disaster situation and approval of 2000 crores for the construction and repair of roads and bridges in the state and for the movement of tourists in the state, 6 highways have been notified as national state roads. the requested. The Prime Minister was also informed about the situation of the monsoon and the situation of disaster.
The Chief Minister also requested the Prime Minister to approve the construction of Song Dam and said that this would solve the drinking water problem of Dehradun city by 2050. The Prime Minister assured that necessary funds would be sanctioned for the Song Dam. The Chief Minister also urged the Prime Minister to participate in the Global Investment Conference proposed in the state in December this year. (ANI)